Career and Education Opportunities for Occupational Safety and Health Inspectors in Detroit, Michigan

There are many career and education opportunities for occupational safety and health inspectors in the Detroit, Michigan area. There are currently 1,390 working occupational safety and health inspectors in Michigan; this should grow by 3% to about 1,440 working occupational safety and health inspectors in the state by 2016. This is not quite as good as the national trend for occupational safety and health inspectors, which sees this job pool growing by about 11.2% over the next eight years. Occupational safety and health inspectors generally review, evaluate, and analyze work environments and design programs and procedures to control, eliminate, and prevent disease or injury caused by chemical, physical, and biological agents or ergonomic factors.

A person working as an occupational safety and health inspector can expect to earn about $29 hourly or $60,980 per year on average in Michigan and about $29 per hour or $62,250 annually on average in the U.S. as a whole. Earnings for occupational safety and health inspectors are not quite as good as earnings in the general category of Athletic and Occupational in Michigan and not quite as good as general Athletic and Occupational category earnings nationally. Occupational safety and health inspectors work in a variety of jobs, including: rabies inspector, work environment safety inspector, and health safety manager.

There are four schools within twenty-five miles of Detroit where you can study to be an occupational safety and health inspector, among seventy-three schools of higher education total in the Detroit area. The most common level of education for occupational safety and health inspectors is a Bachelor's degree. You can expect to spend about four years training to become an occupational safety and health inspector if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Occupational Safety and Health Inspector

Occupational Safety and Health Inspector video from the State of New Jersey Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development

In general, occupational safety and health inspectors review, evaluate, and analyze work environments and design programs and procedures to control, eliminate, and prevent disease or injury caused by chemical, physical, and biological agents or ergonomic factors. They also may conduct inspections and enforce adherence to laws and regulations governing the health and safety of individuals.

Occupational safety and health inspectors conduct safety training and education programs, and demonstrate the use of safety apparatus. They also recommend measures to help protect staff from potentially hazardous work methods or materials. Equally important, occupational safety and health inspectors have to inspect specified areas to insure the presence of fire prevention apparatus and first-aid supplies. They are often called upon to furnish new-employee health and safety orientations, and design materials for these presentations. They are expected to inspect and evaluate workplace environments and practices, in order to insure adherence to safety standards and government regulations. Finally, occupational safety and health inspectors conduct audits at hazardous waste sites or industrial sites, and participate in hazardous waste site investigations.

Every day, occupational safety and health inspectors are expected to be able to evaluate problems as they arise. They need to articulate ideas and problems. It is also important that they listen to and understand others in meetings.

It is important for occupational safety and health inspectors to collect samples of hazardous materials, or manage sample collection. They are often called upon to maintain inventories of hazardous materials and hazardous wastes, using waste tracking systems to insure that materials are handled properly. They also design and maintain medical monitoring programs for employees. They are sometimes expected to maintain and update emergency response plans and procedures. Somewhat less frequently, occupational safety and health inspectors are also expected to conduct safety training and education programs, and demonstrate the use of safety apparatus.

And finally, they sometimes have to perform laboratory analyses and physical inspections of samples in order to uncover disease or to gauge purity or cleanliness.

Like many other jobs, occupational safety and health inspectors must have exceptional integrity and be reliable.

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, , Ann Arbor, MI 48109. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a large university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is a public school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 40,618 students and an admission rate of 42%. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor has 2 areas of study related to Occupational Safety and Health Inspector. They are:

Environmental Health, master's degree and doctor's degree which graduated sixteen and two students respectively in 2008.

Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene, master's degree.

Oakland University - Rochester Hills, MI

Oakland University, , Rochester Hills, MI 48309-4401. Oakland University is a large university located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. It is a public school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 18,169 students and an admission rate of 78%. Oakland University has 2 areas of study related to Occupational Safety and Health Inspector. They are:

Environmental Health, bachelor's degree which graduated 5 students in 2008.

Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene, bachelor's degree which graduated 9 students in 2008.

Wayne State University - Detroit, MI

Wayne State University, 656 West Kirby Street, Detroit, MI 48202. Wayne State University is a large university located in Detroit, Michigan. It is a public school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 31,025 students and an admission rate of 79%. Wayne State University has 2 areas of study related to Occupational Safety and Health Inspector. They are:

Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene, master's degree and post-master's certificate which graduated nine and seven students respectively in 2008.

Madonna University - Livonia, MI

Madonna University, 36600 Schoolcraft Rd, Livonia, MI 48150-1176. Madonna University is a small university located in Livonia, Michigan. It is a private not-for-profit school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 4,015 students and an admission rate of 76%. Madonna University has 2 areas of study related to Occupational Safety and Health Inspector. They are:

Occupational Safety and Health Technology/Technician, one to two year, associate's degree, and two to four year.

Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians, Other Specialties, bachelor's degree.

CERTIFICATIONS

Certified Professional Ergonomist:
The BCPE was established to provide a formal process for recognizing practitioners of human factors/ergonomics.

Construction Health and Safety Technician:
Candidates for the CHST certification are typically employed as safety and health specialists on construction job sites, serving in either full-time or part-time positions.

Certified Environmental Health Technician:
CEHT is for individuals who are interested in field intensive environmental health activities--such as testing, sampling, and inspections, and who are required to provide information on safe environmental health practices and to eliminate environmental health hazards.

Inspection and Testing of Water-Based Systems:
This certification program was designed for engineering technicians in the automatic fire sprinkler industry who are engaged in the physical and mechanical aspects of inspection, testing, and maintenance of water-based systems including foam and foam-water systems.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan photo by Durova

Detroit is located in Wayne County, Michigan. It has a population of over 912,062, which has shrunk by 4.1% in the past ten years. The cost of living index in Detroit, 86, is well below the national average. New single-family homes in Detroit are priced at $108,900 on average, which is well below the state average. In 2008, eighty-five new homes were built in Detroit, down from one hundred fifty-four the previous year.

The three big industries for women in Detroit are health care, educational services, and transportation equipment. For men, it is transportation equipment, construction, and administrative and support and waste management services. The average commute to work is about 28 minutes. More than 11.0% of Detroit residents have a bachelor's degree, which is lower than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 4.2%, is lower than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Detroit is 27.0%, which is greater than Michigan's average of 14.3%.

The percentage of Detroit residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 37.7%, is less than both the national and state average. The most common religious groups are the Catholic Church, the Muslim Estimate and the Lutheran Church.

Detroit is home to the Memorial Park Marina and the Detroit Golf Club as well as Chene Park and Mallett Playground. Visitors to Detroit can choose from Corktown Inn, Clark's Motel and Days Inn of Downtown Detroit for temporary stays in the area.